Bradley at Wichita State

Wichita State star Antoine Carr and coach Gene Smithson after the 1981 NCAA Tournament win over Kansas.Is Bradley beaten down and disheartened after a series of tough losses? Or are the Braves desperate? The Braves crashed after a big win over Illinois, losing three home games. They heard boos from the Carver Arena crowd after Friday’s loss to SIU. The Salukis outscored Bradley 14-2 in the final 90 seconds, which would make a lot of fans boo. Bradley also lost home games to Western Carolina and Loyola-Chicago (both of whom are playing well this season), so it comes to Wichita losers of four of its past five.

So this appears to be on of those cliche games, where WSU can do itself a lot of good by jumping on the Braves early. The Braves swept the series last season, so they should feel reasonably good facing the Shockers.

Injuries shortened Jim Les’ bench, so this appears to be another game that could turn on WSU’s depth. Four Braves play 30 minutes or more.Around the Valley

The Braves are glad to get a chance to play again quickly after the collapse against SIU.Creighton is searching for answers as it prepares to play Evansville today.Two contenders meet at Carbondale.Northern Iowa is 11-1 entering today’s game against Missouri State. Both teams are in “one game at a time” mode. The Bears won’t be saying that if they win today.